A possible COVID-19 infected person died, allegedly because of the negligence of doctors at Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial College and Hospital in Meerut, on Saturday night. The video of a middle-aged person with difficulty in breathing went viral on Saturday evening. The person could be seen sitting on the floor of a ward and asking for help. After some time, another video of the person covered with a white sheet came to light where a voice in the background could be heard saying that the person died as he kept waiting for medical attention.
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Rahul, a relative of the person who brought him to the hospital, told reporters that the deceased was a resident of the Jagriti Vihar area of Meerut. He said, “We brought him to the hospital after his health deteriorated. We were told that his COVID-19 sample has been taken and he was admitted to the ward.”
Not attended
Later, he said, they saw a video of him sitting on the floor and not being attended to by medical staff. “We rushed to the hospital and were told that he had passed away and asked us to bring an e-rickshaw to take his body home,” Mr. Rahul said.
In another video, old patients could be seen complaining about the lack of proper arrangements in the COVID ward of the hospital. An old lady who is seen coughing could be heard asking for poison in desperation. An elderly man could be heard saying that if there was nobody to attend to them, they should be allowed to make their own arrangements.
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R.C. Gupta, Principal, LLRM Medical College and Hospital, said, “I have seen the video and action would be taken against those found guilty of negligence. There is a protocol for sending the dead body and [it] should be followed. There are two wards in the hospital. One is meant for COVID-19 positive cases and the second for the those whose reports are awaited. The deceased was in the latter.”
Increasing complaints
Late on Saturday night, District Magistrate Anil Dhingra took note of increasing complaints of negligence in the coronavirus wards of LLRM Medical College and Hospital. He held a meeting with the Chief Medical Officer and Principal of the Medical College and directed that any case of negligence should be strictly dealt with.
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On Sunday, the DM issued an order to install CCTV cameras in the hospital. In a letter addressed to the Principal, Mr. Dhingra said, as per protocol, CCTV cameras should be installed in the COVID-19 ward and its daily recording should be preserved in a pen drive. He also asked the Principal to ensure the online display of the footage in the office of the Chief Medical Officer.
With one more death on Sunday, Meerut has recorded 14 COVID-19 deaths so far. The district, one of the hotspots in Uttar Pradesh, has 245 positive cases.
